A conventional heat exchanger 100 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,250 and illustrated in FIGS. 1A-4. The conventional heat exchanger 100 includes a cabinet 102 that houses an exhaust fan 104, a manifold 106, a direct heat exchanger medium 108 and a plurality of louver modules 110. As is commonly known in the art, the manifold 106 supplies water via spray nozzles 112 in a spray form to the direct heat exchanger medium 108 while the exhaust fan 104 draws air represented by the solid single-line arrows from outside the cabinet 102 through the louver modules 110. As the sprayed water flows downwardly along the direct heat exchanger medium 108 and as air is drawn upwardly by the exhaust fan 104 through the direct heat exchanger medium 108, heat is effectively exchanged between the downwardly flowing water and the upwardly moving air. After heat has been exchanged, the water drips into and accumulates in a water basin 113.
In FIG. 1A, the cabinet 102 includes a plurality of side walls 102a that house the direct heat exchanger medium 108. The plurality of side walls 102a rest on respective ones of cross-beams 114. As best shown in FIG. 1B, the cross-beam 114 rests on a support assembly 116. Each cross-beam 114 is generally C-shaped and has a pair of facially-opposing flanges 114c and 114c, a web 114d disposed between and connected to the facially-opposing flanges 114c and 114c and a pair of ribs 114e and 114e extending from respective ones of the pair of flanges 114c and 114c. The support assembly 116 includes a vertical support beam 118 and a resting plate 120 having a plurality of resting plate holes 120a as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The resting plate 120 is connected to the top of the vertical support beam 118 by a weldment 122 in a manner that the resting plate holes 120a are positioned in front of the vertical support beam 118.
As best shown in FIG. 1B, cross-beam flange holes 114b are formed in respective ones of the flanges 114c of the cross-beams 114 that rest on the resting plate 120. When the cross-beams 114 are resting on the resting plate 120, the cross-beam flange holes 114b correspond with the resting plate holes 120a so that the cross-beams 114 are fastened to the resting plate 120 by conventional fasteners, such as nuts 124a (FIG. 4) and bolts 124b (FIGS. 1B and 4).
As illustrated in an exaggerated manner in FIG. 4 only for the purpose of clearly and easily understanding a drawback in the prior art, specific load conditions, particularly during seismic events or in heavy wind conditions, exerted on the heat exchanger 100 can be problematic. During such seismic events or heavy wind conditions, a load, shown by way of example as an arrow, is exerted on the cabinet that, in turn, causes shear FS and tension FT forces along with a bending moment MB to develop and be exerted on the connected nuts 124a and bolts 124b fastening the flange 114c of the cross-beam 114 to the resting plate 120. The connected nuts and bolts 124a and 124b resist practically the entirety of such shear FS and tension FT forces along with the developed bending moment MB. As illustrated in this exaggerated manner, the bolt 124b is subjected to the various forces and moments as the applied seismic or wind load is transmitted from the unit center of gravity, through the joint, to the base of the structure.
It would be beneficial to provide a vertical support structure that reduces the shear FS and tension FT forces along with the bending moment MB that is generated during seismic events and/or in heavy wind conditions on the nuts and bolts fastening the flange of the cross-beam to the resting plate by redistributing the forces and moments away from the nuts and bolts. It would also be beneficial to provide a vertical support structure that provides enhanced support for cross-beams in a heat exchanger. Additionally, it would be beneficial to provide a vertical support structure that would simplify mating of a top section of the heat exchanger to the bottom section thereof. The present invention provides these benefits.